


Shut Up and Drive

by indigowendigo



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Fluff, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-26
Updated: 2013-03-26
Packaged: 2017-12-06 14:13:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/736582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indigowendigo/pseuds/indigowendigo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel is an Angel of the Lord.  He has killed countless demons and monsters without breaking a sweat.  He has incredible strength.  He can teleport to anywhere in the world in a matter of milliseconds.  He can't drive a car.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shut Up and Drive

**Author's Note:**

> So this was meant to be a little drabble, but it ended up longer than I anticipated. It's going to be multiple chapters, but each chapter will serve as a separate vignette of sorts. They'll be chronologically in order, but they won't flow; does that make sense? I hope so... 
> 
> Also, you can find me on tumblr at: indigowendigo.tumblr.com

“I do not understand why you will not allow me to, as you put it, ‘poof’ us to where we need to go,” Castiel sighed, sitting in a lumpy chair, in a dingy room, in a dilapidated motel. It was their average Tuesday night. Dean and Sam were exhausted from a day of driving nonstop, and had pulled over at the closest motel—regardless of its sketchiness—for some desperately-needed sleep. 

“The Impala’s practically family, Cas, we’re not leaving her behind,” Dean said, as he had so many times before.

“Besides, you can’t ‘poof’ us, _and_ all of our weapons, _and_ our supplies. We need somewhere to keep all that stuff,” Sam reasoned.

Castiel wanted to explain that, as an angel of the Lord, such a task was well within his abilities, but he saw that it would not help his cause.

“Fine,” he relented, lips pursed subconsciously in a pout.

“Chin up, Cas, we’ll be there tomorrow,” Dean said, noticing the angel’s hunched shoulders.

“I get horribly bored while you are sleeping,” Castiel mumbled.

“Well what do you usually do when we stop at motels?” Dean asked. He’d never really given it much thought, usually too exhausted to even remember his own name.

“Wait for you to wake up,” Castiel responded blankly.

“Okay that is sad,” Dean decided. “You know you can leave, right? As long as you’re back in the morning, the world’s your oyster,” Dean suggested.

“No,” Castiel shook his head. “I do not wish to leave you two alone.” He worried too much when he left them alone.

“Suit yourself, Cas,” Sam shrugged, turning over in his bed and passing out. Castiel shifted in the seat, searching for a comfortable position.

“Cas, sitting on a chair all night can’t be comfortable,” Dean insisted. “At least lay down or something, my spine’s hurting just looking at you.”

“You want me to lay down on the floor?” Castiel questioned, puzzled.

“On the bed, genius,” Dean rolled his eyes fondly, patting the space next to him.

“Your bed?” Castiel asked unsurely.

“Yeah, there’s room. Just lay over the covers,” Dean shrugged. He waited a few seconds before deciding that if Castiel wanted to, he’d join him. He reached over and turned out the light before settling in his bed, making sure to leave enough room for the angel to lay down too. It only took a few minutes before Dean felt a dip in the mattress, and Castiel settling himself next to Dean. Dean was out cold within minutes, and Castiel lay flat on his back with folded arms and closed eyes—but the angel was not sleeping. He was thinking; about how exhausted Sam and Dean were each night; about how they would get more time to relax if they had someone else to drive them. By dawn’s first light, he had made a decision.

—

The next day:

—

They arrived in Wichita the next afternoon, and Sam and Dean decided they would begin their search by meeting with the coroner that had handled the four dead bodies. They suspected a Wendigo, and felt pretty sure that seeing the bodies would only confirm this theory.

“Are you sure you do not require my assistance?” Castiel asked for the umpteenth time.

“We’ve got this, Cas, we’ll be in and out and back here in no time,” Dean reassured him. When Castiel seemed unhappy, Dean explained. “Your FBI disguise fools regular people just fine, but to tell you the truth, you make anyone who knows better suspicious,” Dean said, shrugging. “No offense.”

“I guess I did make the last coroner rather…uncomfortable…” Castiel conceded. “I will work on it,” Castiel assured them. 

“Don’t worry about it, Cas,” Sam insisted, grabbing the Impala keys and his badge from the table. “Here, you can play around on this while we’re gone,” Sam offered his laptop to the Angel, who gratefully accepted it, though still looking dejected.

“Tell you what, Cas,” Dean said, clapping a hand on the angel’s shoulder. “You can do the honors of ganking this son of a bitch when we find it.” Castiel smiled softly and murmured his assent. 

Truthfully, he wasn’t all that upset when Sam and Dean left. He sat on the edge of one of the beds and cracked open the laptop. He had a lot of studying to do, but being an angel had its advantages. 

By the time Dean and Sam returned, less than an hour later, he knew everything there was to know about driving—in theory. 

—

Three days later:

—

“Okay, that’s it, Cas,” Dean said, when Sam left to get dinner. He moved to stand in front of the angel, who was moping on the bed, and crossed his arms. “I thought killing the Wendigo would cheer you up, but you still look like someone kicked your puppy. What gives?”

“I do not own a puppy,” Castiel responded, confused. When Dean gave no explanation, he sighed. “I…”

“I’m guessing this has something to do with where you ran off to the other day?” Dean guessed, forcing Castiel to meet his eyes. “Was it the other angels? Is someone giving you trouble? You know you can tell me if there’s something wrong, Cas,” he insisted, worrying at Castiel’s silence.

“No, it’s not…anyone, it’s just…” Castiel sighed, running his hand through his mussed up hair. “I wanted to surprise you and Sam, so I…signed up to take a road test yesterday,” Castiel confessed, his cheeks tinged with pink. “I memorized everything I needed to know—and I mean everything, Dean, I could recite every rule of the road and tell you the function of every piece of the Impala,” he insisted earnestly. “But I failed,” he finished quietly. He expected Dean would sound disappointed, or angry that Castiel had gone off in secret. He was not expecting the burst of laughter that erupted from Dean.

“You…” Dean struggled to catch his breath, doubled over laughing. “I’m sorry, I just, I’m trying to picture the look on the poor instructor’s face,” he dissolved into laughter once more.

“It is not funny, Dean,” Castiel chastised him, recalling how he accidentally panicked after hitting a traffic cone and shattered the windows of the car. “I made him cry, I think.” It did not have the desired effect on Dean, who only laughed harder, collapsing onto the bed next to Castiel.

“Oh God, Cas, never change,” Dean said, clutching his sides and wiping his eyes. He looked over at Castiel, who was still staring dejectedly at the floor. Dean sat up after taking a minute to compose himself.

“Look, Cas,” Dean started, the laughter gone from his voice, “driving isn’t something you can just do. Even if you memorize all the rules, it takes practice,” he explained.

“Practice?” Castiel questioned.

“Yeah,” Dean said. “You need to start off easy, driving around parking lots, and then small streets, and work your way up to the road test,” Dean informed him.

“Oh. I suppose that makes sense.”

“Tell you what,” Dean said, swinging an arm around Castiel’s slumped shoulders and tugging him into his side. “Tomorrow, I’ll take you to a parking lot and I’ll teach you some basics.”

“I would enjoy that,” Castiel responded, leaning into Dean’s embrace. “Thank you, Dean.” He said sincerely, catching his gaze.

“No problem,” Dean responded, giving Castiel’s shoulders a squeeze. “And don’t feel bad about failing the road test. Happens to lots of people,” he reassured the angel.

“Even you?” Cas asked. Dean chuckled. 

“Not me, no. Driving came easy to me. Sam, on the other hand, failed his driving test three times,” he confided. Castiel broke out in a grin. “Don’t tell him I told you, he still gets embarrassed that I managed to pass a test that he couldn’t.”

“I will not mention it to Sam,” Castiel assured him. The pair sat in silence for a moment before Dean spoke up.

“Why did you want to take a road test in the first place, Cas?” Dean questioned. ”Why would an angel need to drive?”

“If I could drive, you and Sam would not always be so exhausted,” he reasoned. “I feel as though I am burdensome if I cannot help you. I wish to do whatever I can to help you,” he insisted glumly.

“Cas, you’re not a burden,” Dean responded firmly. “Just because you can’t drive, that doesn’t mean you don’t save our asses on a regular basis,” he insisted.

“And what if I can’t do that anymore, Dean?” Castiel growled in frustration. He felt he couldn’t sit still any longer, so he got up and began to pace.

“What are you talking about?” Dean asked, shocked at the outburst.

“What if I start to lose my Grace? No angel has ever severed connections with Heaven so completely. I do not know what will become of me,” Castiel confessed angrily. “You cannot deny that I will not become a burden if I can no longer use my Grace,” he accused, jabbing a finger at Dean.

“Castiel,” The angel’s full name felt foreign on his tongue as he grabbed the angels outstretched hand and tugged him closer. “ _Listen to me_. You are not a burden. You’re _family_ ,” he insisted. “Sam and I, we don’t keep you around because you’re useful, okay? We…I care about you, Cas,” Dean confessed. “Angel or not, we don’t leave family behind,” he finished quietly. Castiel stilled, his breathing heavy from shouting, his hand twitching nervously in Dean’s grasp. It was only when the angel licked his chapped lips that Dean realized how close they were standing.

“Dean?” Castiel murmured.

“Yeah?”

“I’m going to kiss you now. Is that okay?” he asked with his usual deadpan, eyes flickering between Dean’s own and his lips.

“I…You…” Dean’s mouth opened and closed without a single sound, trying to think of a response. When he finally did respond—well, Dean was never great with words. His hand abandoned Castiel’s wrist and took purchase in the shorter man’s hair, tugging him into a kiss. Castiel responded eagerly, hands clutching Dean’s jacket as he pushed closer. Their pace slowed after a few seconds, until Dean was sucking on Castiel’s trembling bottom lip. They pulled apart and stood in silence.

“Well, uh, that was…” Dean coughed awkwardly.

“I enjoyed that,” Castiel nodded. “Can we do that more often?”

“Yes,” Dean responded, a little too eagerly for his own liking. “Just, uh, not in front of Sammy, yet. We should probably…ease him into the idea of…y’know,” Dean laughed, running a hand through his hair.

“The idea of what?” Both men turned around to see Sam standing in the doorway, an eyebrow raised and two takeout bags in his hand.

“The idea of…Cas learning to drive,” Dean responded, not as smoothly as he had hoped.

“You’re learning how to drive?” Sam asked Castiel.

“Dean is going to help me practice tomorrow,” the angel affirmed. “We were just…studying.”

“Uh huh,” Sam said slowly, glancing between his brother and Castiel. “Right.” Sam seemed doubtful but, thankfully, said nothing. Dean looked relieved, and Castiel still looked flushed.

“Just,” Sam started, turning back to face them, “next time you want to _study_ , leave a sock on the door or something.” Sam took a moment to enjoy their shocked faces before he left to finish his lunch in the Impala, laughing on the way out. “You’re not as subtle as you think, Dean,” he called back before shutting the door behind him.

“Bitch,” Dean grumbled, fighting back a grin nonetheless.


End file.
